declination

English

From Middle English declinacioun, borrowed from Middle French declination, from Latin declinatio. Doublet of declension.

declination (countable and uncountable, plural declinations)

At a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north.
Synonym: magnetic declination
At a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane.
Synonym: δ

Coordinate term: right ascension
A refusal.
- 1746, Arthur Collins, Letters And Memorials Of State In the Reigns of Queen Mary:
  the queen's declination from marriage
(grammar, obsolete) Declension.
(archaic) The act or state of bending downward; inclination.
declination of the head
(archaic) The act or state of falling off or declining from excellence or perfection; deterioration; decay; decline.
- 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Cunning”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
  the declination of monarchy
- c. 1635, Edmund Waller, To My Young Lady Lucy Sidney:
  Summer […] is not looked on as a time of declination or decay.
(archaic) Deviation.
- 1692, Richard Bentley, [A Confutation of Atheism] (please specify the sermon), London: [Thomas Parkhurst; Henry Mortlock], published 1692–1693:
  this declination of atoms in their descent
- November 2, 1690, Robert South, Sinners Inexcusable from Natural Religion Only
  every violation of and declination from the rules

at a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north

at a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane

refusal — see also refusal

declension — see declension

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